Parts of a Coin | U.S. Mint for Kids (2024)

FAQs

Parts of a Coin | U.S. Mint for Kids? ›

Branch mint coins have the following mintmarks: Charlotte (C), Carson City (CC), Dahlonega (D), Denver (D), New Orleans (O), San Francisco (S) and West Point (W).

Branch mint coins have the following mintmarks: Charlotte (C), Carson City (CC), Dahlonega (D), Denver (D), New Orleans (O), San Francisco (S) and West Point (W).

As of today, there are four coin-producing mints in the United States. These four coin-producing mints are located in Denver, near Hampden Dentistry & Orthodontics, Philadelphia, West Point, and San Francisco. Believe it or not, there is also a bullion depository located in the Fort Knox area of Kentucky.

The front side (“heads”) of a coin. The back side (“tails”) of a coin. The outer border of a coin.

On the obverse (heads) side of the quarter you have the field, rim, legend, design or device, motto, mintmark, designer's initials, and the denomination of the coin. On the Reverse (tails) side of a Quarter you have; The field, rim, legend, design or device, motto, edge, and date.

The current mint marks on United States coinage are P, D, S, and W for the 4 currently operating US Mints. The letter P is used for the Philadelphia Mint, D for the Denver Mint, S for the San Francisco Mint, and W for the West Point Mint.

The mint mark is the small letter that shows which Mint location made the coin. The two most common mint marks are the “P” for Philadelphia and “D” for Denver. The initials of the artist(s) who designed and sculpted the coin are also included in small letters. Other writing on a coin includes the date and inscriptions.

There are currently four active coin-producing mints: Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point.

What is the edge of a coin called? ›

The edge of a coin is sometimes called the "third side." Numismatists call the heads side the obverse, and the tails side the reverse, reserving the term edge for the third side, or the side that you see if you look at the coin in the space between the obverse and reverse.

The other side is called 'tails', simply because a tail is at the opposite end of an animal from its head. There have been numerous other commonly used terms; in ancient Rome the term was 'Caesar or ship'. This is because the coins commonly had portraits of the emperor on one side, and the prow of a ship on the other.

Abraham Lincoln appears on the penny, Thomas Jefferson is on the nickel, Franklin D. Roosevelt is featured on the dime, George Washington adorns the quarter-dollar, and John F. Kennedy is honored on the half-dollar. Ever wonder how certain presidents ended up being featured on American coins?

The obverse (heads) shows a right-facing portrait of George Washington. The reverse (tails) features five designs each year honoring American women and their contributions. The first quarter made by the U.S. Mint in 1796 was silver.

One third is equivalent to the fraction: 1/3.

Mint added reeded (ridged) edges to coins. There are 118 ridges on dimes, 119 on quarters, 150 on half dollars, and 133 on Susan B. Anthony dollar coins.

With a mintage of about 7 million, these pennies in their intended form aren't scarce, but a small percentage of these coins show no trace of a D mint mark. 1922 pennies without the D mint mark are plain cents or plain pennies. An uncirculated 1922 plain penny with a high grade can be worth $12,000 or more.

1967 No Mint Mark Penny Value

The most collectible are red coins that cost $0.30 to $17, depending on the estimated rank. Only those graded MS 67 are more expensive, so it is necessary to set aside approximately $425 to get one. The record price for such a coin type is $4,945.

1972 No Mint Mark quarter Value

Since they show more or less signs of wear, their average market price is only about $0.25.